1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for attachment to a fishing rod for both holding the rod and setting the hook when a fish strikes
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art discloses many devices for supporting a fishing rod and for automatically setting the fish hook in the mouth of the fish when the fish bites. These devices usually rely on a latch mechanism which holds the fishing pole down against spring tension. A tug on the line by a biting fish releases the latch mechanism, jerking the pole upward under spring tension and thus setting the hook in the mouth of the fish. Many of these devices are of complex structure which increases the cost and difficulty of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,205 discloses a rod holder which is pulled upward by a tug on the line releasing latch mechanism which is a roller nut rotatably attached to the holder arm and a pawl ended latch arm pivotally interconnected to the vertical support member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,298 discloses a rod holder connected to a cable which disengages a collapsible linkage mechanism when the rod is pulled down by a fish taking the line. When the collapsible linkage mechanism is released, a spring pulls the rod holder and the rod upward sharply to set the hook. U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,275 discloses a hook setting device with a cam operated trigger mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,834 discloses two toggle arms hingedly connected so that when the hinge pin drops below dead center the fishing rod will be jerked upward by a spring connected to one of the toggle arms. All of these devices are made of metal parts which must be machined and assembled raising the cost of manufacture. Moreover, these devices are subject to corrosion in the salt air or else further increased construction expenses for coating of the metal or selection of non-corrosive materials. What is needed is a device of simple design with few parts that can be manufactured from inexpensive, lightweight non-corrosive materials such as plastic or polyvinyl chloride, that can take advantage of rubber bands rather than springs for tension, that be adjustable for several different tension strengths and that can operate on a simple triggering mechanism.